Mr. Hall Goes to Washington

The Redskins have signed free agent DeAngelo Hall to a one-year contract. On paper, it will add much needed depth to Washington's secondary and will give them possibly the four best corners in the league with Springs, Hall, Rogers, and Smoot.

I, for one, am not a huge DeAngelo Hall fan. I think he gets burnt too many times by top receivers, however, I think he has tremendous talent, and unlike the other Washington corners he can catch the ball. Hall has three INTs this year and 20 in his five-year career. Chris Horton, a rookie safety, leads the Redskins with three INTs this year.

I think that this is a low-risk, high-reward move for the Redskins. From some reports, the Redskins are only paying Hall around $1 million dollars for the rest of the year. This is a steal for a two-time Pro Bowler, and he is only 24 years old.

If Hall doesn't work out at the end of the year the Skins do not have to re-sign him and it won't be a big deal. However, if Hall returns to his Pro Bowl form from 2005 and 2006, the Skins are sure to try and work out a long-term deal with Hall.

If the Redskins do sign Hall long-term, I believe that would be the end of the road for Shawn Springs who is in the last year of his contract. Hall is from the Virginia area and grew up a Skins fan. Both these things I'm sure played a part in him coming to Washington and possibly wanting to stay with the Redskins.

The main concern that I see with Hall is his ego. Hall has sometimes been referred to as "MeAngelo" and is seen as a "me first" guy and not a big team player.

I like the chemistry that the Skins have built and don't want someone like DeAngelo to come in and ruin what has taken a few years to build up. I do think that the veterans in the Redskins' locker room like London Fletcher, Chris Samuels, Santana Moss, and Jason Taylor will not allow DeAngelo to get out of line.

All in all, I think this is a good move for the Redskins. With Shawn Springs still battling a calf injury and with Fred Smoot not really impressing anyone, Hall could fill in nicely in the Redskins' secondary. I wouldn't be surprised to see him play some against the Cowboys next week to help slow down their passing attack.

As a Redskins fan, I wish DeAngelo the best and hope that he can regain his Pro Bowl form and prove all his doubters wrong.